Velvet Paintings, Juarez, and Cultural Differences

We have all mocked and laughed at the "velvet Elvis" or "velvet Jesus"
hangings that crop up on corners. In fact, at one time velvet paintings
were for sale at the intersection of Memorial Blvd. and Broad Street. After
reading the chapters, what are your thoughts regarding this art form and
how it relates to economic conditions?

After reading Chapter 4 in Antonio's Gun and Delfino's Dream, I learned many things about velvet paintings that I did not know before. Honestly, I didn't know what a velvet painting was before I read this chapter! It is very interesting to see how the velvet painting industry had a huge boom in the 1970's, and how much this boom affected Juarez. I have looked at some of the paintings online, and many of them are fine works of art. The only problem is that they became popular during the 1970's, and almost everything from that decade has lost its popularity. They only managed to be a fad; however, as many things tend to do, they may come back around in a few years. The velvet paintings have now been overshadowed by other industries in Juarez. Maquiladoras in Juarez and other main cities on the border, such as Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, and Matamoros send multitudes of products such as televisions and computers north to the United States on a daily basis. Cheap labor in Mexico, minimal shipping distance, and NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) have led to companies choosing places along the border to locate their maquiladoras. This has led to the rapid economic development of the border region. It has changed the demographics of the border, and especially Juarez: one third of the inhabitants of Juarez are originally from other Mexican states or from countries in Central America. 70 Fortune 500 companies are currently active in the region. People in Juarez on the average have a 25% higher salary than the Mexican per capita GDP. Due to these reasons, Juarez has become an enticing place to live for many Mexicans. Unfortunately, in recent months, there have been many problems in Juarez. President Felipe Calderon's decision to take on the drug cartels has lead to chaos throughout Mexico, especially in Juarez. Rival drug cartels are at war with each other, as well as with the Mexican government. In February, Calderon sent 2,000 soldiers and armed federal police into Juarez in order to secure the city. Many residents said that it was the safest they had felt in a long time. During the 1970's, when velvet paintings were giving Juarez some of its first strides of economic success, there was no worry about drug cartels in Mexico. Let's hope that the problem is eliminated soon: the success of Juarez depends upon it.

Think of the culture tied to the paintings. How would you respond to an
ELL who is ridiculed when he or she shares this family tradition within the
school environment?

I would not permit ridicule of the culture of an ELL student. Every culture and even sub-culture has certain aspects of it that may seem unusual to people from other cultures. I would quickly remind any student that ridicules an ELL student's culture that that student may find some aspects of the culture here to be strange. I would ask that student how he would feel if he went to that country. Depending upon how different the culture is, it would probably be more difficult for an American to adjust to a different culture than for a foreigner to adjust to the American culture. The main reason for this is due to the abundant lifestyle here compared to in other developing countries. One thing is for certain: a mutual understanding and respect between different cultures can lead to long-lasting friendships.